


Back Rubs and Snogs

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oneshot. The Doctor tries to cheer Rose up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back Rubs and Snogs

"Bet I can cheer you up," he teased.

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, steadfastly staring at the television screen. "Bet you can't."

"I just swallowed an abacus, because it's what's on the inside that counts," he grinned goofily at her.

Rose snorted in amusement but didn't look up. "That's the best you can do?"

"Two snowmen standing in a field. One says to the other, 'Can you smell carrots?'"

Her lips twitched slightly.

"Is that a smile?" he prompted, leaning closer to her, peering at her face.

"Nope," she said stubbornly, her frown returning.

"Please cheer up, Rose," he begged, bumping his shoulder into hers. "I don't like it when you're all grumpy, it makes me sad."

She rolled her eyes and turned her head to face him. "If you don't want to be around me when I'm like this, feel free to go back to the TARDIS."

He narrowed his eyes at her as though she were stupid. "But then I'd miss you," he told her earnestly.

Rose lifted her hand and squeezed his cheek playfully. "Poor Doctor. Listen, I'll come home in a bit, yeah? Just let me have some time on my own to get over this stomach ache."

Before she could move her hand back, he grabbed it and entwined their fingers. He tried not to show his immense delight at her referring to the TARDIS as home, and instead said, "Why won't you let me stay? I can give you a back rub if you want."

She arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," he replied. "Lie down on your side."

She hid her smile in the cushion and adjusted her position. The Doctor calmly pulled her legs into his lap and placed his hands under her pyjama top to reach her lower back, proceeding to massage the tender area.

Rose bit down hard on her bottom lip at the feel of his fingers touching her skin. "You know, I'm gonna get you to do this every month, now," she murmured, sighing contentedly.

"Fine by me," he answered quietly.

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, I..."

"What, Doctor?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad I can help ease your pain slightly."

"Thanks," she murmured.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, he slowly slid his left hand around her waist and started lightly stroking her belly, whilst his right hand continued to knead her lower back. Her breath hitched and she winced, hoping he hadn't noticed. "I wish you didn't have to go through this," he whispered.

She smiled. "Me too. Thanks for being sympathetic; most guys aren't, you know."

"Why wouldn't they be sympathetic? I know I wouldn't want to have stomach cramps and back ache for a few days every month. And I don't like seeing you in pain." His thumb gently stroked her hip bone, where it was peeking out of her pyjama bottoms, and she fought back a shiver.

"Well, only another thirty years or so to go," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Why, what happens then?" He sounded alarmed.

"Oh, you really don't wanna know," she giggled slightly.

"Why? Is there more pain?" he asked, his eyes widening. He gripped her hip worriedly and she tried not to focus on that too much.

"It's called the menopause. Human women go through it when they're in their late forties, early fifties-ish. Hot flushes and stuff. But at least afterwards, the dreaded periods stop."

"Ah. Okay." He loosened his grip on her hip and resumed his stroking motion on her lower belly. "Am I right in thinking there is another reason for them stopping — a more...temporary... reason?"

"What, you mean being pregnant? Well, yeah. But then at the end of nine months you have to go through excruciating pain in childbirth, so it's not that much of a consolation."

"You human women have it tough," he remarked.

"Yep," she agreed.

"Women on Gallifrey didn't have to do all this. Well, not in my time, anyway. In the relatively ancient times, yes, but when I was born, weelll, I wasn't born, as such. Process called looming. Much more efficient, if rather detached."

Rose smiled gently, remaining quiet for a few moments. She loved it when he spoke easily like this, about the home he used to keep locked up inside his head, in his hearts. Slowly but surely, he shared tiny little pieces of his life before her, and she gathered those pieces up in her head to form a picture of what his planet was like. She thought perhaps he realised this, for often, in these moments, a shy smile would briefly appear on his face, a quick sparkle in his eyes and a bob of his Adam's apple telling her he was trying, so very hard, to let her in, let her piece together the jigsaw puzzle that was his life.

"Still, at least the excruciating pain at childbirth brings you a little miracle," he commented next, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.

She swallowed thickly. "Not like that's going to happen for me, though."

His eyebrows drew together and he was aware that his voice sounded raspy when he spoke, "What, can't you...can't you have them?" He knew how significant having a baby was for humans. He also knew that although she didn't want children now, she might change her mind in the future. The idea that she would be denied that joy hurt him deeply.

She tilted her head and looked over her shoulder at him. "Well yeah, I think I could, but..." She looked confused, and a little upset.

"What?" he prompted softly.

She turned her head away from him, blinking quickly. "I made you a promise, remember."

"Yes."

"To stay with you forever."

"Yes."

"I'm not going to break that promise to go swanning off with some other bloke to get married and have babies."

"Didn't say you would," he retorted quietly.

Her forehead scrunched up in confusion at his words. "Then, what...?" She felt him shift her legs slightly so that he could move, settling himself behind her on the sofa, one arm still slung over her waist and his palm flat against her belly.

He propped his head up with his other arm and silently watched her for a few moments. He could tell she was running over his words in her head, and he could also tell that she was nervous, because her chest heaved with each breath she took.

Her knees bent as she tried to distract herself by getting comfy, and she felt the Doctor follow her movement and mould to her shape. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself making an undignified noise when he tilted his head forwards and dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder. He moved her hair out of the way and placed another kiss to the back of her neck, and she shivered.

"You didn't mean..." she said hoarsely, and cleared her throat with a quick cough. "You didn't mean me and you."

Her sentence was a statement, not a question, and he stilled abruptly. She sounded so definitive; did she mean it?

"Forget I said anything," he whispered. "You're too young to be thinking about it anyway."

"No, I want to know what you meant, Doctor," she insisted, turning over onto her back.

His eyes flickered between hers, as if searching for something. He gave her a watery smile. "It's nothing, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it bloody well does," she retorted, cupping his face in her hands so that he couldn't look away from her. "What did you mean?"

"Rose, it doesn't matter," he countered harshly, sitting up and dislodging her hands. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "I don't know what I meant," he muttered. "I don't know what I was thinking."

She folded her arms across her chest defensively. "If this is about you feeling guilty for stealing me away from a normal life, you needn't bother. I don't want a normal life, I want you." He glanced back at her immediately with a strange sort of look in his eyes, and she stumbled to correct her sentence. "I mean, I want to be with you, travelling...travelling time and space, yeah?"

He stared at her. Then, "Yeah," he exhaled roughly. And he quickly moved forwards and caught her up in a whirlwind of a kiss, his hands cupping her cheeks as he moved his mouth over hers.

She kissed him back, hardly realising what was happening. One of his hands slipped round to the back of her head and one slid down to hold her behind the shoulders, keeping her in an optimum kissing position. It felt like it went on forever, and they both considered that if it did, that would be entirely fine with them.

Rose drew back from the kiss first, needing to breathe. She favoured him with her cheeky grin. "Wasn't expecting that," she panted.

He tugged on his ear sheepishly, but kept one arm tightly around her, tucking her against his side as he lay back on the sofa. "Yes. Well. Spontaneity is my middle name," he joked.

"Trust you, though," she whispered. "Really bad timing, Doctor."

He tilted his head to look at her. "Hmm?"

Rose blushed. "Well, you know..."

"What?"

She gestured to his lower body.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can wait a few days," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes and hid her smile in his shoulder. "What's a few days more when you've waited decades, eh?" she teased him.

"Exactly," he replied in earnest, and it made her giggle.

"So...you want to, then?" she murmured, biting her lip.

He arched an eyebrow. "I thought you'd already noticed that."

"Yeah, but there've been loads of times when I thought you might make a move, but you never have. Who's to say that in a few days' time you won't run away from this again?"

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise that if you want to seduce me in a few days' time, I will most definitely let you."

She giggled again then poked him in the side. "What if I want you to seduce me?"

The Doctor looked at her and gave her a tender smile. "Then that can be arranged," he replied. He tilted his head to nuzzle her nose. "Would you like me to woo you, Rose Tyler?"

"Weeellll," she answered, drawing out the word like the Doctor was prone to do. "S'pose it might be nice."

"Might?"

"By might I mean most definitely yes."

"Ah." He hid his grin in her hair. "Glad to hear it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He stroked her belly softly, and, forgetting her painful cramps thanks to his tender touch and words, she soon fell asleep.


End file.
